Spring Progress

Well, we may have imagined that spring was just around the corner, but March managed to throw a little more winter at us, and then April did too. Just when we thought that the river was beginning to melt, colder weather returned and the river view was once again a frozen white vista.

We like to remain hopeful though, so set up chairs on top of the snow that covers the concrete pad of the house and workshop, and prepared ourselves for the warm sunny days we were sure would come.

This is the thermometer in the morning of March 29th.

After such a long, cold winter we eventually ran out of firewood. We called around, but of course everyone else ran out too, and our firewood supplier didn't have any dry wood left to sell.  Jet did his best to dig some up out of the snow. Just trying to help!

Fortunately the sun in March still managed to warm the days up a bit, so Rob was able to work a bit in his shelter on the porch, and every time he worked on a timber brace, he would produce some pine off cuts that we could use in the wood stove. It was a good incentive to get some braces cut! We do have electric baseboard heaters, but after checking on our hydro costs after using them for a couple of days, we decided to turn them off as much as possible, and use the wood stove when ever we had some wood. Rob managed to get all of the braces cut, so finally felt like he was making some progress again!

Ever hopeful, each day we would walk around the property and look for signs that the snow was receding. But we soon realized that even with some of the snow gone, the timbers remained firmly frozen into the ground, held in place by equally frozen tarp edges. It would be a while before Rob would be pulling these out to work!

We did finally manage to figure out our exterior window, exterior finish and roof colours. We walked around with this little sample for quite a while and finally stuck it in the snow above the concrete pad so we could see it in natural light. The turquoise broom handle helped us to imagine the darkers colours brightened up somewhat with a splash of turquoise paint here and there!

March is such a funny month. A tease of spring, a blast of winter. Days of warm sunshine that soften the snow during the day, making it hard to walk in any of the snow without falling in over your knees. Cold nights that turn the softened snow and roadways into solid ice. On the days when the sun came out we'd venture out, hoping for signs that we could soon spend more time outdoors. On the blustery days we would hang on to our quiet times spent in the cabin, knowing that this blissful little existence is about to change with the amount of work ahead of us.
And then finally, the snow began to melt, and the river showed real signs that it was breaking up.

I went down to the edge of the river almost every day, watching the sudden changes. One day the center of the river was filled with the most magnificent shards of ice.  The next day they were all gone.

The river opened quickly, and one evening as the sun set, we decided to go sit in my favourite spot, and enjoy the last bit of the sun's warmth, with a nice cold beer in hand. We were still dressed in our rain pants, winter coats, hats, boots and gloves though!

This time last year we were out on the porch in much lighter clothing enjoying our first cold beer of the season outdoors.  And we thought last year it was a late spring!

My March order from the food co-op included the first available and incredibly tasty micro greens.  As much as I love all the root veggies, by March I think we are all waiting for something a little more fresh tasting.

I felt like the snowshoes hares outside must feel, after a winter of chewing on bark, when the first spring shoots pop up....
(Although unlike the snowshoe hares, I am turning grey not brown!)

Suddenly in the last few days, the sunshine and occasional rain has removed some of the snow. Puddles are gathering everywhere, waiting for the ground to thaw so that the water can drain. Jet loves it and splashes in the puddles, diving right in, picking up sticks and dropping his toys into them.

He is unfortunately back to full time long line walks, no running unleashed after a jolly romp after a fox.  Rob was able to track his escape by running after him through the deep snow and up and over to a neighbours. After a really fun game of chase, Rob was able to catch Jet. Unfortunately he had no leash with him, so had to hang on tightly to Jet's harness and try to stumble back through the deep snow and through the woods. At which point the smart little fox sauntered out ahead of them both, and down the hill.  I am really sorry that I laughed at Rob's story about how he gamely hung on to Jet as he plowed down the hill in full pursuit of that fox again....
(And really sorry that I wasn't there with my camera - to catch a photo of the fox of course!)

Finally, the beams are emerging from the ice and snow, so that now we just need for things to dry up a bit and Rob will be able to get working on them again.

For of course, we forgot that melting snow produces lots of muck, and things need to dry up a bit.

It's a bit drier around the cabin, so Rob did manage to get a band saw set up (by running the cord through an open window and plugging it in to the stove outlet) and cut the curves for all the braces. He will still need to sand them all and figure out what look he wants for the edges, but it's good progress!

He also took down the second red oak tree in front of the cabin. We were both really sad to have to take another one down, but it clearly had died, as had the first. Once he took it down we were somewhat relieved, when we saw how rotten one portion was. We park the truck right next to it, so we are lucky it didn't come down on the truck during one of the wind storms!  We are hoping to be able to use some of the sound wood for the pegs for the timbers.  Rob has chain sawed and split it all, and while he wasn't able to get enough straight sound wood for all of the pegs, he did manage to get some. It's amazing how much of the wood has a bend in it, or a knot, or a bit of punky wood, which renders it useless for pegs.  We will be happy to have some of that lovely old oak "living on" in the new house.  The rest will be firewood once it dries.

Unfortunately, it also took down my clothesline! Looks like we were going to have to replace it anyway, as the line broke easily in several places.

Tonight as I write this, it's pouring rain, with a rain warning in effect.  I'm preparing to teach a fabric art course at a yoga retreat in May, and working on my notes and making sure I have enough paints and supplies. Rob is costing house wrap and flex wrap.  The wood stove is on, taking a bit of the early evening chill out of the air. Neither of us can really imagine what the next few months will be like, but I have a feeling there will be a lot more activity than there is right now! We are both anxious to get at it, and a bit nervous about how much there is to do. As the building site slowly emerges from the snow we both are also very excited.  It's a beautiful spot, and every day when we stand there we hear the migrating birds returning. So far, ducks, geese, robins, kingfisher, phoebes, turkey vultures, and yellow bellied sapsuckers have all arrived. Their arrival reminds us that no matter how busy we are, we will always stop to admire the natural beauty, listen to the sounds, and breathe......

Saving for a rainy day

 

We went into September thinking summer had passed us by this year, but the last few weeks have sure made up for our lack of summer weather. We have seen deep blue skies, brilliant sunshine and above normal day time temperatures almost every day. Just as we pulled out our fall and winter coats, hats and scarves, and started tucking away our summer clothes, the weather changed. This was good news for Rob, who was able to forge ahead with the concrete pad plans. I had just started a thorough cleanup of the cabin, but soon found myself drawn outdoors, believing every warm sunny day may be the last for a while. I spent some of my time sitting at the river's edge and walking through the woods. Every day I would promise myself that I would save my indoor chores for the next rainy day. We've had a couple of rainy days , but not many, and most of the chores are still waiting to be done. And they can wait, as I know there will be lots of days in the upcoming months when I won't mind being inside the cabin at all!

I love sitting by the river. I have learned that if I sit quietly and patiently, I will soon notice lots more going on than I first thought. Staring into the river I will begin to notice the movement of insects, the way the sunlight bounces off the water, and see the number of shells gathering around the edges of the rocks.

Eventually, I will become more aware of the many sounds of the river. It changes every day. Depending on the level of the water, I may hear it tumbling over the rocks, or trickling over them. I may hear the roar of the river upstream, or sometimes it seems louder downstream. Mostly though I scan the river banks for signs of deer, heron, beaver, mink or otter. Look up at the sky and look for the ravens and turkey vultures. Sit quietly looking around until I realize that the rock next to me actually has a frog sitting on the edge, or maybe a dragon fly.

Or even one day realizing that a tiny Northern water snake was sitting with it's nose out of the water just inches away.

Sometimes the leaves fall out of the trees, land in the river and float by.

Once a white feather appeared and lingered in an eddy before floating off. It's an incredibly peaceful and lovely place to sit and observe.

Taking some time each day to sit at the river's edge has been even more important the last few weeks as there has been a lot going on at the building site. It's good to take some time to sit and breathe! If we want to get the concrete pad in this fall, it must be poured before November 1st or we will have to pay extra for concrete after that date. (When it gets too cold they have to put in additives to help with the curing process, which costs more)  Rob has a lot to do before the concrete can be poured. We have been struggling to get everything we need, and delivered here in time. A recent trip to Ottawa to pick up some of the harder to get items seemed like a good idea, until I found out that road construction almost doubled my travel time, and we just discovered we were given the wrong items! We will have to sort that all out this week, but I am hoping it doesn't mean another road trip.

Once Rob got all of the area nice and level, he mapped out the outline with string. And we measured. And measured. And measured some more. We measured the diagonals. Then the sides. Then the diagonals. The next day we did it all again.

Rob then built the forms for the concrete, installed them, and we measured again.  I've been really excited about the house ever since the forms went in. Suddenly I could really see the house taking shape, and everything changed.

The forms have to be really strong so that when the concrete is poured, your concrete doesn't suddenly flow out and end up somewhere else on the property. That would also be very expensive as you would have to somehow remove the concrete and start again. The problem with bracing the forms is that we are on rock, so there isn't much to hammer the braces into. Rob did it once with some wood that we had. But it just didn't seem strong enough so he pulled out the stakes he had used and replaced them all with 2x2 stakes. Whew, that was hard work. Good thing he wears good knee pads. And now the forms seem to be a lot more solid.

He also installed some of the pipes that will run under the concrete and drain into the septic tank. The pipes are joined with cement and primer. I came home from "work" one day to find that Rob had not progressed much as he couldn't get the can of primer open! (I still find it hard to call it "work" as I enjoy it so much !) As I take the truck when I am "working", he had no way to get back to the store where he had purchased it. He took it back to the store the next morning and they had to break the can open. They gave it back to him tucked into a box, but it tipped over and emptied out into the truck on the way home. Luckily I was on my way for my weekly drive to the garbage and recycle depot, and I was able to pick up another can, swing back to drop off the primer, and still make my way to work on time. And Rob was able to get the job done, and ready for the next inspection.

Last year we visited two homes that were part of the Ontario Natural Homes tour. Both were solar powered off-grid homes. This year we decided to take the tour again, as we had a few more questions, and thought it would be a good idea to see the houses again. There was another house listed on the tour so we visited it this year as well. It was a very lovely small straw bale home, also off grid. I love the rounded corners and deep window wells on the straw bale homes and the plastered walls reminded me of the beautiful adobe houses in New Mexico. Now that we are serious about being off grid though, I tried to spend most of the tour taking a good look at how the owners cope with the changes in sunlight hours, and thought carefully about the need for generators and propane powered kitchen stoves, and monitors that tell you how much power you have left in the batteries. Still, it was nice to look at the straw bale design. I would love a small straw bale studio or building.....

The house tour also gave us a chance to take an afternoon off together. Although it was a rainy and misty day, the drive around the area was beautiful. We found ourselves on narrow twisty dirt roads, surrounded by stunningly beautiful fall colours. We even had time to take in a studio tour of one of our favourite local potters on the way home, and swung past one of the lovely lakes to admire the view.

Now Rob has mapped out a timetable, and it's pretty tight. There will be no afternoons off together again for the next few weeks. He still has to finish preparing the house site; laying down the layers of 3 inch foam board, topping it with gravel, installing the hydronic system, and wire mesh and spacers before the concrete is poured. He also had to finalize the plans for the workshop and the areas that will house the wood boiler and solar batteries, and get the site ready for the concrete pour there as well. He is putting the forms in place for those this week. We also have to consider where the pipes go for propane for the kitchen stove, and a trench had to be dug for all the water pipes between the house, the well, and the workshop. The workshop will also have a hydronic heating system, so it needs to be installed too. However, in one of his usual middle-of-the-night eureka-moments, he decided to slightly downsize the size of the workshop, and change the solar panel roof design for it. As he said, all the planning in the world doesn't do it - it's once you are on site that you really understand what you've designed, and may see the need for some changes. And he has certainly been spending lots of time there lately! I think we are both happier that the new plan is for a smaller building. We can now  build it back a bit further, and change the angle to take advantage of the sun's rays a touch more. I guess we'll see how it goes. We spend a lot of time stepping back from the site and taking a good long look....

 

 

Now Thanksgiving has passed, and we know the unusually warm weather is about to disappear. The chipmunks and red squirrels have stripped the oaks of their acorns, and the cedars of most of their seeds. The haws on the hawthorn bushes are suddenly disappearing as well. I have seen some small birds flitting in and out around the berries, and this week a young red squirrel was busy filling his cheeks with some. I have no idea how it avoided the sharp thorns on the Hawthorne branches though. Those thorns are wickedly sharp.

I know that Rob is only too aware of the fast approaching colder weather. But when I watch all the squirrel and chipmunk activity, and hear the sound of the geese flying south above us every day, it is my reminder that it's time to think about the arrival of real fall weather. It's almost time to prepare for the winter ahead as well. Those chores I saved for the rainy days will soon be getting done!